Although he released one of the most revered protest songs of the decade—"Alright," which was adopted by the Black Lives Matter movement—it would be wrong to categorize Kendrick Lamar as a political artist. Rather than talk about the charade of politics and the people involved, he talks about the problems at hand and the people and emotions involved with actual society.

His new album, DAMN., peripherally mentions Donald Trump—it talks about Lamar's personal issues with Fox news, and how the election impacted black communities—but it does very little to directly take on our current president. This wasn't out of fear or oversight on Lamar's part, obviously. This was because Trump doesn't interest Lamar. As he told Rolling Stone in a new interview:

I mean, it's like beating a dead horse. We already know what it is. Are we gonna keep talking about it or are we gonna take action? You just get to a point where you're tired of talking about it. It weighs you down and it drains your energy when you're speaking about something or someone that's completely ridiculous. So, on and off the album, I took it upon myself to take action in my own community. On the record, I made an action to not speak about what's going on in the world or the places they put us in. Speak on self; reflection of self first. That's where the initial change will start from.

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He might be the greatest rapper of his generation—one who's massively influential, popular, and respected—but he knows his limitations. Lamar isn't going to say "Fuck Donald Trump" and convert millions of Americans. He's not going to outline specific bills or policies or talk shit about Chris Christie hanging out on a beach. No, Lamar is more nuanced than that. He's not going to give Trump more power by saying his name—he's going to tell the stories that actually matter.